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Poland 'agrees' to US missile defence deal

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Blood of the Martyrs
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« on: February 03, 2008, 02:42:07 am »

Poland 'agrees' to US missile defence deal


By Angus McDowall, additional reporting by Matthew Day and Justin Stares
Last Updated: 2:36am GMT 03/02/2008


Poland has put its doubts to one side and agreed in principle to let America base a missile defence system in the country, despite fierce opposition from its powerful Russian neighbour.

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The deal, struck in Washington this weekend, will fuel growing tension between Russia and the West, which are competing for influence in central and eastern Europe in a struggle with uncomfortable echoes of the Cold War.

Under the agreement, announced by Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, America will help bolster Polish air defences in return for permission to place 10 interceptor missiles on the country's Baltic seaboard.

"There is still a great deal of work for our experts," said Mr Sikorski on his first trip to Washington since Poland's centre-right government came to power in November. "But yes, I am satisfied that the principles that we have argued for have been accepted."

The weapons are meant to defend Europe and Israel against missile attacks from Iran and other emerging threats from rogue states or terrorists, but Russia sees the move as an attempt to undermine its own nuclear deterrent. President Vladimir Putin has been angered by the steady expansion of Nato up to Russia's borders, including the establishement of US bases in some former Soviet republics of central Asia.

Poland joined Nato in 1999. Mr Putin has also sharply increased defence spending and played to his own voters by ordering the resumption of flights to test western air defences, and major naval exercises in waters close to Western Europe.

US officials have tried to soothe Russian fears, saying the system would be impotent against Russia's huge nuclear arsenal. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice later played down its links to the programme known as Star Wars, originally conceived under Ronald Reagan, which was intended to deflect missiles fired by the Soviet Union.

"This is not that programme," she said. "This is not the son of that programme. This is not the grandson of that programme." America aims to install the missiles later this year, probably at a former Second World War airbase at Redzikowo, in the country's north east. Under the £1.75 billion American plan, a large radar base will also be set up in the Czech Republic to give early warning of incoming missiles.

Czech agreement to host the radars could itself be threatened if the opposition defeats the government in an expected tight election later this year.

Last year the head of Russia's missile forces, General Nikolai Solovtsov, said Russia could aim its own nuclear warheads at Poland if American interceptors were placed there. Raising the stakes still further, Russia's ambassador to Belgium said last week the programme could trigger an inadvertent nuclear holocaust.

"The trajectory of any American missile from Poland would be south-south-east and the speed would be very high," Vadim Lukov said at a seminar in Brussels. "In this situation any notion of an early warning evaporates. Poland is just six and a half minutes from Moscow and in this situation the Russians would rely on an automated response. I am sure you may all well imagine the unfortunate consequences."

Domestic criticism of the plans has focused on fears that the interceptors will place Poland on the frontline of a new nuclear dispute between Russia and the West. But the scheme has broad political support and is likely to be approved by the parliament.

"We know that we will have European colleagues who will not be very keen on this so we will have to weigh it up," said Urszula Gacek, a member of the European Parliament and supporter of the Polish government.

"But ultimately it is a question of Polish defence and whether this shield, and the package that comes with it, will increase our security or decrease it." To assuage these concerns, the US has offered to strengthen Poland's short-to-medium-range air defences.

These could include missiles capable of shooting down incoming bombs. The deal partly vindicates the tougher line adopted in talks with the US by the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, since his party came to power in November.

He and Mr Sikorski are known for their pro-American views, but criticised the previous government for not asking enough from Washington in return for missile bases. The issue will likely dominate his scheduled meeting with Mr Putin on Friday, as well as a meeting with President Bush planned for early March.
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Blood of the Martyrs
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« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2008, 02:42:49 am »





Source: Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/03/wpoland103.xml

Source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/world/mheyqlkfauoj/

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« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2008, 02:43:31 am »

Poland reaches deal over US missile shield

02/02/2008 - 09:31:53

Poland has agreed in principle to allow the US to install a missile defence system on its soil.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said that after meetings with US officials, he is satisfied that the United States will deal with security problems that Poland wanted solved as part of an eventual deal.

The announcement seems to add momentum to a project that the Bush administration has said it hopes to start building this year.

The project has been a major source of tension with Russia and had stalled when the new Polish government sought new demands after taking office in November.

Mr Sikorski did not outline terms of the deal, but in a joint appearance with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a working lunch, the two suggested that the United States would help with Polish air defences, which Poland has requested in the deal.

“We understand that there is a desire for defence modernisation in Poland, and particularly for air defence modernisation in Poland,” Ms Rice said. “This is something that we support because it will make our ally, Poland, more capable, it will make Poland, as the foreign minister has said, more able to operate with us.”

Mr Sikorski said that negotiators would continue to work on the details of an agreement that would allow the United States to install 10 interceptors as part of a long range European missile defence system.

“We are not at the end of the road as regards negotiations. We are in the middle of the road,” he said. “We have an agreement in principle.”

He sought to address misgivings about the US air defence aid held by Russia, which has already strongly objected to the missile defence plans.

Russia has threatened to retarget nuclear missiles at Poland to counter what it sees as a US attempt to undermine the Russian military deterrent.

“The reinforced Polish air defences are not directed against anybody,” Mr Sikorski said. “They are to enable Poland to be a stronger Nato ally with the United States, to enable Poland to take part in operations, in out-of-area operations, in joint operations.”
But the air defence system that Poland has asked for help in building would seem to be aimed at addressing concerns about Russia’s threats.

Polish officials have previously expressed interest in acquiring from the United States short and mid-range air defences to include Patriot or THAAD missiles.

Yesterday’s development probably will burden further the already strained ties between Poland and Russia.

It is expected to figure in talks between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two leaders meet in Moscow on February 8.

The United States has dismissed Russian concerns about the proposed long range missile defence system, saying it is intended to protect Western countries from missiles fired from Iran and would be impotent against Russia’s massive arsenal.

“It is true that the United States once had a Strategic Defence Initiative, a programme that was intended to deal with the question of the Russian strategic nuclear threat,” Ms Rice said, referring to a programme, also known as Star Wars, supported by 1980s President Ronald Reagan.

“This is not that programme. This is not the son of that programme. This is not the grandson of that programme.”

The US ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, who was present at the lunch with Mr Sikorski and Ms Rice, called the preliminary agreement “a significant step forward” in missile defence negotiations.

“It was a productive meeting, and I think Minister Sikorski and Secretary Rice were pleased with the outcome,” Mr Ashe said. “The talks on missile defence will go forward, as well as the separate discussions on the modernisation of the Polish armed forces.”

If the two sides conclude a deal, it would seem to vindicate Mr Tusk and Mr Sikorski’s strategy of asking more from Washington in exchange for Poland’s support in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the missile defence system.

The previous Polish government of former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who opened talks early last year, firmly supported the plan without additional demands.

Source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/world/mheyqlkfauoj/




Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/03/content_7558099.htm

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Blood of the Martyrs
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« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2008, 02:44:15 am »

Polish FM: Much work ahead for details on U.S. missile defense plan 
 
www.chinaview.cn  2008-02-03 11:01:29     
 
    WARSAW, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Poland and the United States have much to do before they reach agreements on details about Washington's planned deployment of a missile defense system in Europe, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said on Saturday.

    The negotiations could be a "marathon" as time is needed for the coordination of many technological details and political issues relating to the deployment are to be addressed, said Sikorski in an interview with the Polish Radio.

    Sikorski, who is on a visit in the United States, said Friday that the two sides had reached agreement in principle on the installation of a U.S. missile defense system after he had received assurances that Washington would help Poland strengthen its security.

    Sikorski did not outline the terms of the deal, but in a joint appearance with Rice after a working lunch, the two officials suggested that the United States should help with Poland's air defenses, which the latter has asked for in the deal.

    "We understand that there is a desire for defense modernization in Poland, and particularly for air defense modernization in Poland," Rice told reporters.

    "This is something that we support because it will make our ally, Poland, more capable, it will make Poland, as the foreign minister has said, more able to operate with us," she said.

    Russia strongly opposes U.S. plans to build the missile defense system in central Europe, an anti-missile radar base in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor base in Poland, saying it is a direct threat to its security and will break the strategic balance in the region.
 

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/03/content_7558099.htm
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